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Life in the UK Practice Test 20 (2026) — free, with answers

24 original practice questions in the official Life in the UK Test formats — multiple choice, select TWO, TRUE or FALSE and “which statement is correct”. The real test has 24 questions in 45 minutes with a 75% pass mark (18 of 24). Every answer below includes an explanation. Written from the official study material; no log-in, completely free.

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1. Who became the first person to sail single-handed around the world without stopping?

  1. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
  2. Sir Francis Chichester
  3. Dame Ellen MacArthur
  4. Sir Steve Redgrave
Show answer

Answer: A — Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston achieved it two years after Chichester's 1966/67 voyage, which had included stops.

2. Where is the UK's most famous sailing event held?

  1. Cowes, on the Isle of Wight
  2. Cardiff Bay
  3. Loch Lomond
  4. Brighton
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Answer: A — Cowes, on the Isle of Wight

Many sailing events are held around the UK; the most famous is at Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

3. The famous yearly rowing race on the Thames is contested between which two universities?

  1. Oxford and Cambridge
  2. London and Durham
  3. Edinburgh and Glasgow
  4. Bristol and Bath
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Answer: A — Oxford and Cambridge

The annual Boat Race on the Thames is between Oxford and Cambridge universities.

4. Which TWO of the following are recent British winners of the Formula 1 World Championship?

  1. Lewis Hamilton
  2. Jenson Button
  3. Sir Chris Hoy
  4. Sir Bradley Wiggins
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Answer: A and B — Lewis Hamilton; Jenson Button

Recent British F1 world champions include Damon Hill, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. Hoy is a cyclist and Wiggins a cyclist and Tour de France winner.

5. In which year did motor-car racing begin in the UK?

  1. 1902
  2. 1866
  3. 1934
  4. 1950
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Answer: A — 1902

Motor-car racing in the UK started in 1902, and the UK remains a world leader in motor-sport technology.

6. How many ski centres does Scotland have?

  1. Five
  2. Two
  3. Ten
  4. None
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Answer: A — Five

Scotland has five ski centres, and the UK's longest dry ski slope is near Edinburgh.

7. Which TWO of the following are major UK stadiums named as hosts of major sporting events?

  1. Wembley Stadium in London
  2. The Principality Stadium in Cardiff
  3. The Aviva Stadium in Dublin
  4. The Stade de France in Paris
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Answer: A and B — Wembley Stadium in London; The Principality Stadium in Cardiff

Major sporting events take place at stadiums such as Wembley in London and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

8. England's women's football team won the European Championships in which years?

  1. 2022 and 2025
  2. 1966 and 1970
  3. 2012 and 2016
  4. 2018 and 2021
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Answer: A — 2022 and 2025

England's men won the World Cup in 1966; England's women won the European Championships in 2022 and 2025.

9. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE? A game of cricket lasts a single day at most and cannot end in a draw.

  1. TRUE
  2. FALSE
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Answer: B — FALSE

FALSE — games can last up to FIVE DAYS and STILL END IN A DRAW, part of what makes the game idiosyncratic.

10. Which UK football league attracts a huge international audience and many of the world's best players?

  1. The English Premier League
  2. The Super League
  3. The Six Nations
  4. The Champions League
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Answer: A — The English Premier League

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have separate leagues; the English Premier League has the largest international following.

11. At which London venue is the Proms most famously held?

  1. The Royal Albert Hall
  2. The O2
  3. Wembley Stadium
  4. The Globe Theatre
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Answer: A — The Royal Albert Hall

The Proms is an eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music held in various venues, including the Royal Albert Hall.

12. How long does the Proms season last?

  1. Eight weeks
  2. One week
  3. Three days
  4. Six months
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Answer: A — Eight weeks

The Proms is an eight-week summer season, and the Last Night of the Proms is its most famous concert.

13. Henry Purcell was the organist at which building?

  1. Westminster Abbey
  2. St Paul's Cathedral
  3. Canterbury Cathedral
  4. York Minster
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Answer: A — Westminster Abbey

Purcell was organist at Westminster Abbey and developed a British style distinct from the rest of Europe.

14. George Frederick Handel was born in which country, and became a British citizen in which year?

  1. Germany, in 1727
  2. Austria, in 1714
  3. Italy, in 1750
  4. France, in 1689
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Answer: A — Germany, in 1727

Handel was born in Germany, spent many years in the UK and became a British citizen in 1727.

15. Which TWO of these works did Handel write for the royal family?

  1. The Water Music
  2. Music for the Royal Fireworks
  3. The Planets
  4. Belshazzar's Feast
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Answer: A and B — The Water Music; Music for the Royal Fireworks

Handel wrote the Water Music for King George I and Music for the Royal Fireworks for his son George II.

16. Which Handel oratorio is still regularly sung by choirs, often at Easter?

  1. Messiah
  2. Peter Grimes
  3. Facade
  4. Paradise Lost
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Answer: A — Messiah

Messiah is Handel's best-known oratorio and is often performed at Easter.

17. Gustav Holst adapted which movement of The Planets as the tune of the hymn 'I vow to thee my country'?

  1. Jupiter
  2. Mars
  3. Venus
  4. Neptune
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Answer: A — Jupiter

Holst adapted Jupiter from The Planets as the tune of that hymn.

18. Which Elgar march is usually played at the Last Night of the Proms?

  1. Pomp and Circumstance March No 1, 'Land of Hope and Glory'
  2. The Water Music
  3. Facade
  4. A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
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Answer: A — Pomp and Circumstance March No 1, 'Land of Hope and Glory'

Sir Edward Elgar, born in Worcester, is best known for the Pomp and Circumstance Marches; March No 1 closes the Last Night.

19. Which composer's work was strongly influenced by traditional English folk music?

  1. Ralph Vaughan Williams
  2. Henry Purcell
  3. George Frederick Handel
  4. Sir William Walton
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Answer: A — Ralph Vaughan Williams

Vaughan Williams wrote for orchestras and choirs and drew strongly on traditional English folk music.

20. Which TWO works are Sir William Walton best known for?

  1. Facade
  2. Belshazzar's Feast
  3. The Planets
  4. Billy Budd
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Answer: A and B — Facade; Belshazzar's Feast

Walton wrote everything from film scores to opera, including coronation marches; Facade — which became a ballet — and Belshazzar's Feast are his best known.

21. Benjamin Britten's A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is built on a piece of music by which composer?

  1. Henry Purcell
  2. Gustav Holst
  3. Sir Edward Elgar
  4. George Frederick Handel
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Answer: A — Henry Purcell

It introduces the sections of an orchestra using a piece by Purcell.

22. Which music festival, still internationally important, was founded by Benjamin Britten?

  1. The Aldeburgh festival, in Suffolk
  2. Glastonbury, in Somerset
  3. The National Eisteddfod, in Wales
  4. Creamfields
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Answer: A — The Aldeburgh festival, in Suffolk

Britten founded the Aldeburgh festival in Suffolk.

23. The Punk movement in British music belongs to which period?

  1. The late 1970s
  2. The early 1950s
  3. The mid-1990s
  4. The 1920s
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Answer: A — The late 1970s

British pop kept innovating: the Punk movement of the late 1970s, then the boy and girl bands of the 1990s.

24. Which TWO of these are named as big UK venues hosting music events?

  1. The O2 in Greenwich
  2. The SEC Centre in Glasgow
  3. The Royal Crescent in Bath
  4. Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire
Show answer

Answer: A and B — The O2 in Greenwich; The SEC Centre in Glasgow

Big venues include Wembley Stadium, The O2 in Greenwich and the SEC Centre in Glasgow.

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